What is "Backs On"?

A Coach Asks

I went to a coaching seminar and stayed after to ask about
defending tactics. The coach suggested several alternatives, but mentioned
playing "backs on". What does this mean? When would we
play "backs on"?

Some Ideas

Playing "backs on" means that your marking backs, usually your two
outside defenders, will mark 1v1 against assigned opponents, and will track
those opponents at all times, even tracking the opponents to the opposite side
of the field if needed.

Advantages

Playing backs on applies exceptional pressure to the opposing side attacking
your goal, and is, more or less, what coaches teach beginning players to do at
U8 and U10. The coach who yells "mark up" is asking everyone,
especially the marking backs, to tighten up with opponents being marked.
So, it is very easy to explain to your marking backs, and it is very easy to
audit during the match. A quick glance can tell you whether your backs are
"on" their mark.

Disadvantages

A crafty team with experienced strikers who work together can tear your
defense apart if you play backs on without understanding what they can do with
runs.

For example, with two opposing strikers, one striker checks early into
midfield and spins out in a bending run to prepare to go forward
again. This "down striker" has brought a marking back into
midfield, and left space up top. The second striker, still up top as the
"up striker", delays, checks to goal a step or two to gain the
attention of the marking back, then checks into midfield as well, dragging the
"backs on" defender.

What's left? Perhaps just a central defender left alone in a
very, very big space and a worried goalkeeper. The opposing side has
created a through ball situation that will set up two strikers and one
ball going against your central defender. Each of the strikers has a
good chance to get a step on the "backs on" defender who has
tracked out into midfield, so the capable opponent will play a through
ball. Four sets of hips will turn to goal, two for the opponents
attacking your goal, and two for your side, your "backs on"
defenders. Pretty scary stuff, because with their hips turned toward
your own goal, your defenders may not be able to win the ball without
fouling.

When to Use It

Playing backs on works best at younger ages, where it is a teaching tool, and
it works with advanced teams from U14 up who play with a central defender and
screen (stopper) who are quick to step up into the passing lanes and a
goalkeeper who plays high in the defense to assist with controlling space,
rather than hanging back on the line. Backs on is appropriate when playing
high pressure system against a better team that may have some weakness getting
out of the back.

For example, you may be facing a much stronger opponent and may not have hope
of maintaining much possession in the attacking half. How then can you
score without possession? Let the other team do the heavy lifting and
instead focus on winning the ball from defenders in the final third, where
scoring does not require your team to have maintained possession from your
goal-line to theirs.

Specifically, if you can teach your strikers and midfielders to play balls to
the flags or the corners of the opponents penalty area when they are likely to
lose possession, and if you can teach your strikers to isolate defenders so that
the defenders play predictable passes up the touch-lines to places where your
defenders and outside midfielders can easily win the ball, you can gain
possession close enough to shoot at once.

For example, one striker to ball, one striker to the line of play
between the ball and the keeper (then turning to double down on the ball),
a midfielder or striker to the goalkeeper, attacking mid to the central
defender, outside mids run to the opponents outside defenders, and your
defenders push up to mark the opponents outside midfielders. This
leaves your central defender, keeper, and screen or stopper to worry about
the opponents strikers. You are gambling that the defender with the
ball, facing probably two of your players, will not have the presence of
mind or composure to look up to see that a striker might not be marked,
and will not have the time or space to prepare an accurate pass of 40
yards or more.

Now, this explanation of pressurizing did not have the marking backs on
those strikers, we released the outside backs to go to the half-way line
to win that pass we can expect from the outside backs. Right, so we
played backs on to start discouraging the strikers early on, but when we
get a chance to play a ball forward, we break out of "backs on"
and pass those strikers to the sweeper/stopper team. "Good
luck, were outa here! Be right back after we get a goal!"

By the way, when you want to pressurize as a team, you should see your
entire team across the half-way line and into the attacking half in about
6 seconds, regardless of age group. The central defender and screen
will push up but they have marking responsibilities in a full team
pressurizing situation. Your goalkeeper will have to come out to the
18 or further to control space behind the defense when your entire team is
chasing a defender with the ball at the other end. You will also
take advantage of visual cues to know when to break off from pressurizing
in order to recover defending shape. A simple example, if the
opposing goalkeeper picks the ball up in hands, its time to recover the
team to a tight shape in midfield, leaving space along the touch-lines
empty.

A Suggestion

It is more important for your players to learn how to play a
combination of 1v1 marking and zone, playing 1v1 near the ball and zone
away. This is not complicated.

Some coaches swear that 1v1 everywhere is the way to go, but in the
next sentence, they will always agree that doubling up on the ball is
often a good idea. Well, as soon as you double up on the ball, you
are numbers up near the ball. This means that you are numbers down
away from the ball, and that means you are playing zone away from the
ball. It is no more complicated than that.

Zone means that, as a defender, I have my space and I will be the first
defender if the ball comes to my space with a player, or that I will try
to win the ball if it is played to my space. I will play numbers
down defense against two attackers, and delay for support to arrive.
Playing zone also means that I will deliberately let some space go that is
not critical. I will probably not chase opponents without the ball
all the way to the touch-line far from my goal when by myself, but will
instead work to cover the middle.

Having emphasized teaching zone and 1v1 together, we should still
suggest that you give it spin as a learning aid for you and the
team. Playing backs on is kind of fun to try, so play with in
scrimmages. It is an interesting exercise as much for the coach as
for the team. You will learn a lot about defending shape and
defensive organization by experimenting with it, and gain some ideas about
striker play and attacking the goal at the same time.